Netflix has commissioned a reboot of the long-running Western historical drama series Little House on the Prairie.
The original series, based on the best-selling books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, ran on NBC for over 200 episodes from 1974 to 1983. It has recently enjoyed a resurgence thanks to its streaming availability on Peacock.
The original series was produced by Ed Friendly, while the reboot will be overseen by his son Trip under their Friendly Family Productions banner. The Boys writer-producer Rebecca Sonnenshine will act as showrunner.
In a statement reported by Deadline, Trip Friendly said: “It has been a long-held dream of mine to carry on my father’s legacy and adapt Wilder’s classic American stories for a 21st century audience in a way that brings together fans of both the books and the original television series.
“I am thrilled by our talented creative team led by Rebecca Sonnenshine who are bringing these beloved stories about family, community, and survival to longtime fans and new generations.”
Sonnenshine added: “I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old. They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix.”
It is not the first time a reboot of the beloved series has been mooted. A film adaptation was underway in 2014 but never made it to the screen.
The 67-year-old actor recalled being asked to kiss co-star Melissa Gilbert and said: “I think that there was anxiety on both sides of that kiss and how is this going to go? But we stepped up to it.”
The actors starred as Almanzo and Laura on the hit NBC show from 1979 to 1983, with their characters having a 10-year age gap.
Butler wished they “could have been a little closer in age” during filming, “but that’s not the way it really happened.”
They shared their first kiss in season six, episode 22 – “Sweet Sixteen” – after growing closer when Almanzo drives Laura to an out-of-town teaching job.
He called the characters’ romance “beautiful, heartfelt and simple”, and praised Gilbert for her performance given “how little life experience she had” at the time.
In the following episode, Butler’s character proposes, but Laura declines due to her father’s wish that she wait until she is 18 to marry. However, they eventually marry and have children.
Speaking to People at a 50th-anniversary event for the show, the actor explained: “From the perspective of playing it, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could have [had] … a little more common ground, so we would’ve been able to play the loving side of this in perhaps a little bit more interesting way.”
The critically acclaimed series received 16 Emmy nominations, and three Golden Globe nods.
Gilbert added that she believes the continued popularity of the series is because “it’s a reflection of all the things that people crave in life: family, community, love, faith and hope.”
